Stringed instrument



Dec. 15, 1936. E. )BLANCHETTE 2,064,516

I STRINGED INSTRUMENT I Q Filed Oct. 7, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 3g Eli INVENTOR 12 bs/make??? ATTORNEY Dec. 15, 1936. E. BLANCHETTE STRINGED INSTRUMENT Filed oct. 7, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORN EY Patented Dec. 15, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application October 7,

13 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in musical instruments and has particular reference to an improved banjo or like stringed musical instrument and method of making same.

The principal object of the invention is to provide simplified means and method of making a banjo or like stringed musical instrument wherein the various parts may be more easily, quickly and cheaply manufactured and assembled.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for improving the tone qualities of banjos or like stringed musical instruments, both as to volume and trueness of tone, and has particular reference to the method of making the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved head tightening means and an improved head structure wherein the adjustable portions of the head tightening means may be positioned internally of the resonator chamber and in a definite relation with tone expelling openings formed in said chamber so that the said openings may be used as means for gaining access to said adjustable portions.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for removing invidious or obnoxious structural noises which might be present in instruments of this nature when being played.

Another object is to provide a structure which will reduce the number of parts, increase the strength and durability of such instruments and permit the use of materials which will decrease the weight and cost of said instruments.

Other objects. and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and it will be apparent that many changes may be made in the details of construction, arrangement of parts and methods shown and described without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed in the accompanying claims. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction, arrangement of parts and methods shown and described, as the preferred forms only have been shown by way of illustration.

It has been customary in the past to form the shell of banjos or like stringed musical instruments from several pieces of wood which were glued together and turned to the shape desired. This process was very slow and costly and formed a heavy and bulky instrument when finished. Another undesired feature was the several small attachments which were necessary to complete the instruments. These attachments werenot only costly but required much time to assemble.

1931, Serial No. 567,460

The head tightening means were in most instances positioned e-xteriorly of the head and formed many exposed projections which caught and tore the clothes of the user.

Applicant has overcome the above mentioned prior art defects by forming an instrument which may be quickly and easily stamped or spun from sheet metal such as aluminum or other material or moulded to the shape desired. He has greatly reduced the number of parts and has provided 10 novel means for improving the tone of such instruments. The structure is very strong, durable and inexpensive. The various parts may be quickly and easily formed and assembled and when finished produce an exceptionally light in- 15 strument which is attractive and easy to handle.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. I is a plan View of the instrument embodying the invention;

Fig. II is a side elevation of the instrument; 0

Fig. III is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the head;

Fig. IV is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line IV--IV of Fig. III showing the gut head, support ring and insulating member;

Fig. V is a fragmentary perspective view of a modification showing tone cups over the tone expelling openings in the annular gut head supporting shell;

Fig. VI is a plan view of one of the tone cups shown in Fig. V.

Referring more particularly to the drawings wherein like characters of reference designate like parts throughout the several views, the device embodying the invention comprises a main body portion I which is formed by pressing or spinning sheet aluminum or other sheet material into the shape desired or by moulding the said material. This main body portion has an annular portion 2 which forms the shell of the in- 40 strument over which the gut head 3 is stretched and an outwardly flaring portion 4 which termina tes in an enlarged annular portion 5 which forms the resonator chamber 6. The enlarged annular portion 5 is provided with a plurality of plane integral sections which form a continuous integral ring-like member around the resinator chamber 6, as shown in section in Fig. I.

The portions 2, 4 and 5 are all formed in integral relation with each other.

The annular portion 2 is cut away to provide a plurality of sound expelling openings 1 therein and is provided with a concaved peripheral edge 8, as shown in Figures III and IV, which 'is adapted to support a hollow ring member 9.

The hollow ring (-3 is insulated from the concaved edge 8 by shock absorbing means it formed of rubber, leather, felt, pressed paper or other material and is adapted to support the gut head 3.

The gut head 3 is stretched over the ring member 9 and the peripheral edge thereof is turned over a flesh ring I i which is adapted to be drawn downwardly by a tension ring l2. The tension ring 52 is fitted around the annular shell '2 and is drawn downwardly by a. plurality of tightening bolts E3. The tightening bolts i3 are pro vided with hook shaped portions i4 adjacent one end which overlie and fit into a plurality of notches l5 formed in the tension ing l2 and are provided at the opposite end with threaded extensions which extend downwardly through openings formed in the outwardly iiared por tion 4. The threaded ends extend inwardly oi the resonator chamber 6 and are provided ith nut members by means oi which the bolts are tightened to draw the tension ring i2 downwardly to tighten the gut head 3.

The enlarged. annular member 5 which forms the resonator chambe" 6 is provided with a plurality of tone expelling openings on the sides thereof, as hown in Figs. II and III, or may be formed with the said openings in the bottom 53 as shown at it. These openings also provide means through which a tighteni g wrench as or key 2! may be in erted to ti nten the nut members. i6. It is optional as to which set of openings is formed in the resonator chamber but only one set is used in single instrument. Attention is directed to this fact as two sets are shown in Fig. III, wherein the said openings are shown by way of illustration only.

The bottom it fits within a shouldered circumferential groove and engages an internal flange 63 adjacent the bottom edge of the annular portion 5 and is attached to the internal flange by crews or like means 22 as shown in Fig. III. This closes the bottom opening of the resinator chamber 6. The bottom may be insulated from the annular portion 5 if desired by placing shock absorbing means 23 of rubber, leather, felt, pressed paper or other suitable material between the edge of said bottom and the portion 5.

The instrument is provided with a neck 24 having suitable tuning pegs 3! for tightening the strings 45. The end 32 of the neck 24 is attached in a bracket member 34 by pins, screws or like means 35. The bracket 34 is provided with perforated flared portions 36 through which the connecting bolts 37 extend to secure the said bracket to the portion 4 of the instrument head i. The bracket 34 is provided with an upstanding portion 38 which engages the end of the neck 24 and spaces the same from the annular shell portion 2 to provide clearance for the tension ring H2. The said bracket may be insulated from the portion 4 by rubber, felt, leather, paper or other suitable material fill.

The strings 45 are attached to the tuning pegs 3! adjacent one end and extend over a bridge member 48 and engage with a tailpiece 4? adjacent the opposite end.

The tailpiece l'i has a support 59 by which it is secured to the annular shell portion 2 by a bolt or like means which extends through a slot formed in said shell portion. The slot 53 permits the tailpiece to be raised or lowered with respect to the gut head 3. An insulating member Bl of rubber, leather, felt, paper or other material is placed between the support 50 and the shell 2.

A modification is shown in Figures V and VI wherein the tone expelling openings 1 are provided with tone cups 58. The said cups are shaped to fit the contour e ge or" the openings internally oi" the instrument and are secured thereto by soldering, welding or the like.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that an exceedingly simple construction is provided wherein the parts of said instrument may be quickly, easily and cheaply manufactured and assembled, and which when completed will form a very light instrument which is exceptionally attractive and easy to handle.

Having described my invention I claim:

1. In a stringed musical instrument, an instrument head having an annular supporting portion, an outwardly projecting flange portion and an enlarged annular portion, said annular supporting portion having a grooved peripheral edge, an insulating member on said edge, a ring like memher on said insulating member and a gut head stretched over said ring member.

2. In a stringed musical instrument, an instrument head having an annular supporting portion, an outwardly projecting flange portion and an enlarged annular portion, said annular supporting portion having a plurality of tone expelling openings therein and having a grooved peripheral edge, an insulating member on said edge, a ring like member on said insulating member and a gut head stretched over said ring member.

3. In a stringed musical instrument, an instrument head having an annular shell portion, an intermediate outwardly flared portion and an enlarged annular portion having a plurality of tone expelling openings therein, a gut head over said annular shell portion and means to tighten said gut head on said annular shell portion, said tone expelling opening being aligned radially with the gut head tightening means and forming means for gaining access to said gut head tightening means with a tightening tool.

4. In a stringed musical instrument, an instrument head having an annular shell portion, an intermediate outwardly flared portion having a plurality of openings therein and an enlarged annular portion, said enlarged annular portion having a plurality of tone expelling openings therein, a bottom secured to the lower peripheral edge of said enlarged annular portion, a gut head over the annular shell portion, and means to tighten said gut head on said shell portion,

said tightening means having a portion extending through the openings in the outwardly flared portion and being located internally of the enlarged annular portion and in radial alignment with respect to the tone expelling openings so that I said openings provide the necessary means for gaining access to said gut head tightening means with a tightening tool.

5. In a stringed musical instrument, an instrument head having an annular shell portion, an intermediate outwardly flared portion and an enlarged annular portion having a plate member secured to its lower peripheral edge and forming an enclosed resonator chamber, said chamber having a plurality of tone expelling openings therein, a membrane stretched over said annular shell portion and means to tighten said membrane on said annular shell portion, said tone expelling openings being in aligned relation with the membrane tightening means radially and forming means for gaining access to said membrane tightening means with a tightening tool.

6. In a stringed musical instrument, an instrument head having an annular shell portion, an

intermediate outwardly flared portion and an enlarged annular portion, said shell portion having spaced supports with an insulating member on the free peripheral edge thereof, an annular membrane supporting member on said insulating member and a membrane stretched over said supporting member.

7. In a stringed musical instrument, an instrument head having an annular shell portion, an intermediate outwardly flared portion and an enlarged annular portion, said shell portion having a plurality of tone expelling openings therein, a membrane over said annular shell portion and a tone cup surrounding each of said tone expelling openings internally of the annular shell portion and having an open mouth portion directly beneath the membrane.

8. In combination with a banjo or like stringed instrument head having a tone expelling opening therein, a tone cup member secured adjacent its peripheral edge to the peripheral edge of the opening internally of the instrument head and having an open mouth portion extending inwardly of the head adapted to receive tone waves and deflect them through the opening.

9. In combination with a banjo or like stringed instrument head having a membrane thereover and a tone expelling opening therein, a tone cup having its peripheral edge secured to the peripheral edge of the opening internally of the instru ment head and having an open mouth portion extending inwardly of the head and spaced from the membrane adapted to receive tone waves from said membrane and deflect them through the opening.

10. In a stringed musical instrument, an instrument head having an annular supporting portion, an outwardly projecting flange portion and an enlarged annular portion, said annular supporting portion having a plurality of projecting supports thereon formed with grooves therein, a ring like member in the grooves and a membrane over said ring like member.

11. In a stringed musical instrument, an instrument head having a plurality of spaced grooved supports thereon, the space between said supports forming a plurality of tone expelling openings, a ring like member in the grooves of the supports, a membrane over the ring, means to tighten the membrane on the ring and means cooperating with the 'tone expelling openings to direct sound waves from the interior of the head through said openings.

12. In a stringed musical instrument, an instrument head having an annular membrane supporting member, a member having a plurality of spaced upright supports thereon for supporting said annular member at predetermined spaced intervals and being spaced to form a plurality of tone expelling openings at the sides of the instrument head, a membrane on said annular member and means for tightening the membrane on said annular member.

13. In a stringed musical instrument, an instrument head having an annular membrane supporting member, a member having a plurality of spaced upright supports for supporting said annular member at predetermined spaced intervals and being spaced to form a plurality of tone expelling openings at the sides of the instrument head, a membrane on said annular member, means for tightening the membrane on said annular member and a plurality of tone cups supported in aligned relation with said tone expelling spaces internally of the head and having an open mouth portion directly beneath the membrane for directing sound waves through said spaces.

ELI BLANCHETTE. 

